Here are some photos of the Duchess of Edinburgh last week, during the South Korean president’s state visit to the UK. Sophie not only attended the state banquet solo, she was tasked with entertaining President Yoon Suk Yeol during a visit to the Royal Society. They both took part in a round-table discussion about the role of science to advance humanity. That’s a pretty big deal, that Sophie got that prominent, solo task to attend this serious event with a visiting head of state.
At the state banquet, Sophie rewore her coronation gown, a custom look by Suzannah Crabb. It looked like a doily and a wedding dress and I kind of think that it was inappropriate for a state dinner. She also wore her aquamarine tiara, the same one she usually wears for state occasions. The late QEII basically gave that piece to Sophie to wear as her signature tiara. As for Prince Edward’s absence, he was in the “Asia Pacific” for an official visit to Australia and Indonesia. His trip has barely gotten any attention whatsoever.
It’s increasingly clear that while Edward and Sophie are far from popular in King Charles’s court, they are considered “safe/neutral” when it comes to the drudgery of state visits and soft diplomacy. While Sophie and Edward will never bring an enormous amount of positive attention for the monarchy, they won’t make global asses out of themselves either. That seems to be part of their rebrand too. What’s even more amazing is that Sophie and Edward are basically light years ahead of William and Kate, both in work ethic and baseline capability to not embarrass themselves or the family. Speaking of, Sophie is going on another overseas tour. William and Kate have zero plans to go anywhere.
and to continue her work to champion the survivors of conflict related sexual violence, and the rights of women and girls.
She will be accompanied by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) November 22, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- London, UK, 22 November 2023: South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and Britain’s Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh arrive at the Royal Society, in London, UK during the presidential state visit.,Image: 823613581, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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- London, UK, 22 November 2023: Britain’s Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh reacts during a roundtable discussion on how to collectively strengthen the role of basic science to advance humanity. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol visits the Royal Society with Britain’s Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh during his state visit.,Image: 823623987, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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- London, UK, 22 November 2023: Britain’s Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh reacts during a roundtable discussion on how to collectively strengthen the role of basic science to advance humanity. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol visits the Royal Society with Britain’s Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh during his state visit.,Image: 823623997, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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- State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the state visit to the UK by the President of South Korea Featuring: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the state visit to the UK by the President of South Korea Featuring: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Cho Taeyong Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Prince Edward is here? No mention of it at all in our press.
Saw or heard nothing. What royal visitor gets no mention? Time for a republic!
Sophie is not getting any kudos from me. She only started making these trips for female peace and security after Meghan joined the family. While Meghan was made to give up her associations with World Vision and UN Women, Sophie gets to be affiliated with the UN and make these trips.
It just raises the question, why isn’t pegs and khate going?
Because they’re lazy.
I assume Philip advocated for Sophia to get the UN gig. Seems he was concerned about Edward’s place. I could be wrong but why would the palace convince Meghan to give her spot up only to give a spot to another spares wife.
Unless the plan was for h and m to work in honor of w and k. And for that to work h and m would need to be paid. Instead William was trying to get money off of them! Weird.
@Macky: When Meghan and Harry got engaged the press said she would have to give up her UN associations because the Royal Family didn’t get involved in politics. Given that Sophie is allowed to go to the UN on a regular basis it’s clear that the Palace were afraid that Meghan would overshadow the rest of the family if she maintained her UN links.
If Sophie decided to brand herself as a stateswoman, she’d be right. She’s doing the Wales’ job in this regard. From an institutional standpoint, The Firm should be concerned that the Foreign Office doesn’t see fit to send the Prince and Princess of Wales anywhere.
But but but…the school run! The children’s exams!
AND THEY SEND HER TO TOUCHY PLACES. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was being paid a salary. To go to Columbia right now is a big deal. It’s actually too political for a monarch/heir but this would be a Philip job which should now be a Camilla job.
Macky i think you touched on something important here: Sophie isn’t just doing the Wales’ job she’s also doing things you’d expect the monarch’s consort to do. There’s a lot sqid about how lazy WanK are and it’s true but i feel not enough is being said about how lazy Camilla is. I know she’s old but Betty and Philip were still doing a lot at her age and it’s crazy that all we get is puff pieces about how she’s the perfect partner to help Charles in his role as King but no mention of how she does so much less work than the consorts before her and seems allergic to travel unless it’s to go to a foreign ‘resort’ where she comes back looking different.
Colombia
Sophie might be dodgy and mean, but I recognise that she is serious about working (if what they do can be categorised as working… Far from what we call working). Now, Peg and Kathy simply do not have the range, ethic and willingness to do anything else, apart from casually spending taxpayers’ money!
Not making a global ass of myself is kind of my brand, too.
😂
Hahaha!!!!!!!!!
Well, Sophie and Edward just don’t get much attention so really who knows how often they put their foot in it. I still remember when Sophie and Edward were rude to those performers. They could be doing stuff like that all the time but we’d never know. Bc no one’s paying attention to them.
Yes, They’ve made asses of themselves heaps of times and you’re right, it’s not reported because no one cares. From the Sophie tapes up! They also mock people on the job. Their Caribbean tour was a disaster. They’re both pretty clueless. And Ford fiesta of the arranged marriage calling M a ‘degree wife’? Please. I wonder when they haven’t put their foot in it.
Plus, you know, her speeding motorcade causing the death of an elderly woman
(Not being snarky toward you, it just astounds me that Sophie is considered “safe”, and not causing incident, whereas if this had been Meghan, it would to this day be in EVERY article that mentions anyone from the royal family)
Sophie does hustle–or anyway, she appears to hustle more than the others. There’s a video circulating of Sophie and William from this past week–she’s gazing up at him as though she thinks he hung the moon. She appeared downright giddy just to be in his presence(which is odd given that he’s her nephew), and I couldn’t tell if it was all an act or what. More than anything, I think Sophie is overwhelmed with joy that they made Edward Duke of Edinburgh, so I suppose she’s just playing her position. What happens to her title when Edward passes away? I’m just glad she decided not to continue pushing lady Louise into the scene.
Sophie would still be the Duchess of Edinburgh until she passes away, and William can pass the title on to one of his kids, although he will have the Cambridge and probably the York titles to play with.
It would be cool if William changed the rules and made Charlotte Duchess of York in her own right.
Unless she remarries (ordinarily, a re-married widow no longer uses her prior married title), but I doubt Sophie would risk that. Or, if the new Duke of Edinburgh (whoever that is) is married, then Sophie would have to switch to “Dowager Duchess of Edinburgh.”
Sophie is a competent enough working royal who doesn’t grab the spotlight, so she’s a good fit for the family in Charles’ mind.
If she makes an ass of herself on these trips, we don’t hear about it. Is it because its Sophie so no one cares or because again, she is competent enough to pull off these kinds of trips without major incidents? My guess is that the the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Just imagine Kate going on a diplomatic tour like this.
The Colombia visit is the culmination of many years of work (see my comment below this is my area of work) and there’s no way Kate could do this visit. This is a part of a much larger, ongoing CRSV/WPS campaign that Sophie (and the UK) has been involved with for some time. The Duchess has more than put in the work on CRSV, she is very knowledgeable and she knows the situation in Colombia. That’s the main difference to me. I don’t think Kate could do this because it is really not a social/fun event and it’s definitely not a one off type of engagement. This work is quite heavy and you have to be extremely prepared, especially if engaging with survivors which Sophie will be doing,
Wow, this is high praise for Sophie. I am glad to hear she has used her position to do the substantive, important and no doubt emotionally draining work. Thanks for sharing your insight.
@Lindsay- you’re welcome! Just to be clear because I realized my post was unclear, the work in Colombia is being led by Colombian CSOs and survivor groups, didn’t mean to imply that the UK who has been doing all the work! The UK definitely is supportive though, as is the Duchess, and that should be recognized, but just wanted to clarify!
Sophie’s dress is ugly asf, that doily around her neck looks like the kind of faux collar you pin onto a normal shirt to make it look *fancy* but at least she didn’t go to the expense of having another sorry bland white dress made (and just re-wore her Coronation frock)
The @RoyalFamily Insta acc doesn’t seem to cover any other royals anymore except C3 & C, occasionally a bit of Anne. At least under Liz, other royals got an occasional post
Man, look up dowdy in the dictionary and find Fiesta at the state banquet. I’m guessing it’s by design that she consistently looks dowdy at formal occasions to keep Kathy off her back because normally a woman looks a little extra wearing bling and an evening gown. Kathy should stop worrying about other women’s looks and notice the other woman is doing her job.
Her dress is both unattractive and matronly, but she got a better tiara than Kant did (Rose Tiara)- this tickles me endlessly.
This is my area of work (CRSV) and Sophie is quite committed and puts in a tremendous amount of work- not so much events/receptions/etc that I’m not really a part of, but delivering remarks at conferences, roundtables, doing site visits. I know this is a gossip site (why I’m here!), but in all seriousness, she’s very respected- always comes prepared, no fuss, and is quite engaged and knowledgable on the topic. The UK has a number of important CRSV initiatives, some related to the WPS agenda and some not, and the Duchess has taken on a leadership role now for several years. In the past three months, I’ve seen her I think 4 times. And, again, these are not Royal or social events, but have listened to her deliver remarks at work conferences and briefings (not in the UK). I get that people have their views on her interactions with Meghan and I don’t really have a view on whether she’s an asset to the RF as such, but I will say that she is a really good champion in the fight to end conflict-related sexual violence and she is one of the few high profile champions who shows up quite frequently and has for several years.
Thank you for sharing this! Firsthand accounts are always interesting! And thanks for the work you do.
Thanks for this perspective. Work like this doesn’t generate clicks for the media, so it’s good to know what’s happening behind all the noise.
Supposedly the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg is also heavily involved in CRSV work, have you seen/heard any evidence of that?
Yes, the Grand Duchess through her foundation is quite involved in CRSV.
But if her work doesn’t get attention outside of those already attending and paying attention, how is it of benefit?
I am absolutely not an expert on how the Uk monarchy operates (not British either!), so this may not be exactly correct. But, PSVI is not a Royal initiative, it is a UK government initiative (started a decade ago by FS Hague) from the Foreign Office. Again, I could be wrong, but this to me is quite different from campaigns or projects spearheaded by members of the RF (William’s homelessness initiative or Kate’s Early Years- these are not attached to parliamentary or PM agendas). It is a government priority and CRSV is not in any case imo a “Royal” issue, it requires government action domestically and on the international level. The Duchess supports the UK government’s CRSV work, she serves as a champion and brings attention to the government’s projects and priorities. It is very beneficial to have her as a champion in the same way that high profile people supporting Pres. Biden’s agenda or various US legislation are beneficial (sometimes haha!).
But what she does isn’t reported so how is she high profile? If she is achieving so much, why is it never part of her PR that she puts out?
It is reported, just not in gossip pages or tabloids. Things that are high profile in terms of government initiatives are not necessarily covered on social media or as a part of RF PR. Again, it’s not her initiative, it’s the UK government’s initiative and she is definitely a part of the government PR. Look, I’m going to guess that you don’t know who Lord Ahmad is. But, the fact that the Prime Minister has a special envoy on CRSV who actually has that as an assigned work portfolio is a big deal and demonstrates a level of government commitment that is important (and should be adopted by other governments). That is the work that the Duchess supports and she brings attention to it, which matters a great deal.
An ability not to make a global ass of oneself is the lowest of low bars. But we’re talking the Windsors here so…
Nothing will change my opinion of Sophie. She’s a bore and a shady bitch. The way she treated Meghan (and Harry) is unforgivable.
I’m so disappointed that Waity didn’t get to participate in the round-table discussion about the role of science to advance humanity. That would have made for some amazing sound bites.
So Camilla and Sophie re-wore coronation gowns for the big state dinner (assuming this is some kind of ‘look how frugal we can be’ nonsense) while Kannot wore an almost identical but new dress. Passive aggressive for the win here. “I thought you said LIKE our coronation gowns, SO sorry.”
Camilla rewore her coronation dress to the State Opening of Parliament, not to the state dinner.
Her PR must be working. Many on here seem to be buying into it. She is such a diplomat that she couldn’t behave nicely around Meghan? She made a rude comment to a performer, sped around unnecessarily and ran over someone, and she and Ed were asses in the Caribbean, including not really listening and gifting a picture of themselves. Most of what they do probably doesn’t get reported and the BM probably doesn’t consider being rude to POC or performers as a big deal, so no major reporting on it. They are likely considered safe to send because they don’t get attention, but the RF can claim they are putting in the “work” and, since they are lower down in line, they don’t get the protests that KC or PW might or the really big pressure to make reparations since they don’t hold the purse strings. I can see the value of the President learning how science can help humanity, but Sophie is not a scientist and any things she “listens and learns” about go where exactly as far as helping? This is just an attempt to justify over-paid royalty.
I just commented. My comment was more in line with WHERE they send her. She goes to political areas. She goes places where england needs a pr boost. It just seems odd to me that Sophie is building a nice solo portfolio.
In regards to Meghan. Sophie really should’ve stayed out of it. She made an ass out of herself snubbing them. Than the next event her husband made a show of interacting with h&m to counteract her.
A topic she doesn’t understand in a culture she’s not familiar with in a country where she doesn’t speak the language? How wonderful for the women of Colombia. 🙄
Soooooo much this! What the hell? We don’t want her here!
The FO doesn’t have a large pool of royal sources (soft power) to send – W& K continually show their ineptness and inability to professionally represent without messing up, Queen Consort is useless and this would be below Charles pay grade. Sophie is best of what’s available 🤷🏻♀️ scraping the bottom of barrel comes to mind – similar to current government cabinet.
Sophie and Edward haven’t had an engagement together since the season started. She came to the concert alone, and in the group photo on the balcony it was as if they were strangers. She didn’t wear her rings for quite a while either.
If it was Meghan and Harry the press would have been thundering.
Oh you think they’re separated? I thought edwards absences and her going to Colombia alone meant Edward is sick. He’s looked ghastly for quite a while and the royal family don’t announce the Royals are dying usually, until they’re dead.
What? Why? Who is paying for this? I can assure you if it is our goverment, people will be pissed.
The King and Queen of bone idle, have said that they are so proud of the Heir and his wife, following in their tradition, and, have let it be known, that the lesser Royals, “Sophie and Edward”, who are not following in their tradition, are available for hire by the foreign Office as and when needed
Why are they sending Sophie?
Diplomats, and/or Prince William should be doing these visits.
Seriously, William and Kate need diplomatic training and should be attending these types of meetings. This just shows how lazy they both are.
LAZY!
Is she wearing colorful nail polish? GASP. I’m clutching my pearls b/c *protocol* lol
3rd picture, the tall, handsome man in kilt and uniform standing behind Sophie.
John Somebody or other, he is military, highly trained, decorated just got a promotion, he was something ot other for QE.
I bet this guy knows some serious info about BTS of all the BRF.
I’m certain other Celebitchy folks know this mans full rank, etc.
I’m just too lazy to look it all up.
I bet there are a LOT of people employed by the BRF who are more intelligent, hard working, devoted to doing their job vs. actual members of the BRF.
This man does his job. Take note William and Kate!
I feel a bit sorry for this guy, he is being turned into a “hot royal aide” on social media, when IMO, he has more morals and work ethic than some BRF. Andrew, anyone?
So glad Sophie is doing her utmost to save the monarchy (sarcasm).
I think Sophie has been involved with CRSV and human trafficking issues for some time. I don’t know how effective she is as advocate for helping these groups but it seems she has been trusted to do some fairly heavy lifting. I’m beginning to think that the The Firm gives no training to anybody for anything. Meghan and Diana are just naturals.